The Wolves Of Beacon Hills
by LouisaHale
Summary: Part 4 of "Life and Times of a She-Wolf" - Series of oneshots surrounding the Hale Pack. Based on prompts from readers and scenes I had left over from the Epilogue of Alpha She-Wolf. Mostly Hale Pack/Hale Family fluff.
1. Pack List

**Life and Times of a She-Wolf**

**The Wolves of Beacon Hills**

**The Hale Pack***

**Alphas**

Derek Salvador Hale

Erica Regina Hale

**Lieutenants**

Cora Amelia Hale

Malia Tate

Allison McCall-Lahey

Rosalyn Perez

**Elders**

Peter Hale

Sarah Martin-Hale

Melissa McCall

John Stilinksi

Laura Marcela Hale

**Betas**

Scott McCall

? "_Stiles"_ Stlinski

Vernon Boyd

Isaac Lahey

Daniel "Danny" Mahealani

Jackson Whittemore

Aiden Jones

Ethan Jones

**Non-Wolf Pack Members**

Lydia Martin

Braeden Deaton

Marin Morell

Kira Yukimura

**Underage Pack Members**

Raul Alexander Hale

Diego Benjamin Hale

Juliet McCall-Stilinski

Connor McCall-Stilinski

Andromeda Lyn Hale

Diana Claudia Stilinski-Hale

Micah McCall-Lahey

Melissa McCall-Lahey

Aubrey Talia Hale

Alan Morell-Hale

Ava Morell-Hale

Derek Julian Hale

Marcus Boyd

* * *

*Footnote: Members of The Hale Pack as of chapter 18 of Alpha She-Wolf. More pack members will be added as "The Wolves of Beacon Hills" continues.


	2. Knocked Up I

**Disclaimer: I do not own TW or the characters, just my AU/AR. (and MY OCs). Also FYI, this is un-betaed, so all the mistakes are mine**

**Check out my tumblr (**hailhaleswriting**) Or visit **allhailhales DOT webs DOT com / teen-wolf ** for bonus info and updates on this fic and others.**

* * *

**Life and Times of a She-Wolf**

**The Wolves of Beacon Hills**

**Knocked Up Part I: Andromeda Lyn Hale**

* * *

Erica had just miscarried and she was having mixed emotions. She could not bring herself to speak to Derek about her feelings because her feelings confused her. On one hand, she was relieved. She was not ready to be someone's mother; she barely knew who she was as a person, an alpha and mate, she didn't need to add another role to fail at right now.

On the other hand, she had just lost a _child_. Her heart was broken and she wanted to cry. There had been potential for a little baby girl or boy that was half Derek and half her and their life was gone before it even started. It was devastating, and the heartache was only made worse when she felt Derek's grief and the rest of the packs sadness.

She had cried herself to sleep in confusion.

_Erica became aware again standing in a foggy field. She heard a tiny growl followed by happy barks and noticed a little black wolf leaping toward her. The wolf shifted into a little girl (no older than six) while she was running toward Erica. She was beautiful; tan skin, long black curly hair tied back in a complicated braid, and the most enchanting hazel eyes. Her smile was big, her laugh reminded Erica of her mother's laugh and she ran into Erica's arms liked she had done it a million times before._

_Erica caught the child but the impact sent them tumbling onto the grass. She rolled around and laughed with the child until she finally let the child pin her._

_"Hi Mommy." _

_"Hi Baby."_

_"I'm sorry you're sad. The ancestors say it just wasn't my time yet." The girl said, her little hand reaching for Erica's and smiling back. "But I really want to meet you and Daddy."_

_"It's not fair." Erica sighed._

_"Grandmother Talia said you and Daddy must find yourselves first. That you aren't ready to be my Mommy and Daddy right now." _

_"I think she's right Baby."_

_"Well hurry up Mommy." The child demanded._

_Erica laughed and kissed the girl on the forehead. "I will do my best."_

_The dream began to fade and her daughter smiled. "I love you mommy."_

_"I love you too Baby."_

Erica woke up in tears but confidant that she was travelling down the right path. She would have time to be a mother one day. But right now she had to figure out how to be herself.

* * *

Erica tried not to think much about her daughter the black wolf. The dream had been disconcerting because it had felt so real. It hurt to think about her, knowing that she was just a figment of her imagination created from her own grief.

She began thinking about her again after she died and was brought back to life. Derek's ancestors called where they were when they died the _in-betwe_en. It was a space between life and death; a ghostly waiting area. It was there she saw a mini-pack of wolf pups that avoided the ancestors, herself and Derek because they weren't allowed to interact with them. Derek's parents had explained to her that the pups in the _in-between_ represented souls of the next generation of the Hale Family. There had been a black wolf pup that looked exactly like the pup from her grief filled dream and when a voice responded to Derek Sr's scolding, Erica wanted to cry. The voice sounded exactly like the girl in her dream.

Her daughter was real. She was not a hallucination. She was real and waiting for the right time to be born.

Erica was almost disappointed when she woke up and the pregnancy test the hospital gave came out negative. Before the Hale ancestors resurrected her, the little black wolf had lunged for her yelling a plea into the wind.

_I wanna come too!_

Erica had hoped her daughter had been successful and had come back with her, but she hadn't. The timing wasn't right just yet.

* * *

Towards the end of their wedding reception Derek had told her why people had been smelling her all day. She had been giving off pheromones that only pregnant she-wolves gave off. She was finally going to have her pup. Once a she-wolf began to give off the scent of pregnancy there was no longer a chance of miscarriage. Unless she wanted to abort the pregnancy she was going to be a mom in eight months.

There was no way in hell she was aborting this pregnancy. She was ready to be a mom. There was no doubt in her mind. She knew who she was and she knew what she wanted now.

She wanted her pack, her husband, and her child.

Derek had been concerned about her silence after he told her but she gave him a big smile to reassure him. She then insisted that they wait to talk about the pregnancy until after their honeymoon. She wanted to spend a week with her husband without having to worry about the extra responsibility they were about to undertake. They needed this honeymoon as a couple.

The only problem with their plan is that when they arrived back home after a week in Hawaii the whole pack wanted to discuss the pregnancy. Derek and Erica didn't get a chance to get out of the car before their pack swarmed them and started shouting in a not so orderly fashion.

_"How was Hawaii?"_

_"Who cares how their fuck-cation went Kira! I want to know about my future niece or nephew!"_

_"Laura is right! Tell us more about little Cora."_

_"They are not naming it after you Core! They are naming it after me. Malia Reyes Hale!"_

_"If they don't name their kid Derica, they are dead to me. Cora and I are leaving the pack and never coming back."_

_"Thank goodness, we'll finally be rid of Stilinski."_

_"How are you taking the news Erica?"_

_"We need to get her to a doctor, just to check that this pregnancy is going as well as it should be."_

_"Dude you all were right. That smell makes me want to impregnate people. Ethan, which female pack member do you want to have my love-child?"_

_"Danny, go back to being quiet. You act like Stiles when you're horny."_

_"Mama, what does horny mean?"_

_"When do we start putting the nursery together?"_

_"Who are the godparents?"_

_"Is it a boy or a girl?"_

_"She's a month along, they don't know yet."_

_"Why do you guys not look excited? Get excited!"_

_"When the new baby comes will you all still love Connor, Diego, Raul and me?"_

The sentence from Juliet stopped them all in their tracks. Everyone stopped questioning Derek and Erica on their baby and started cuddling, kissing and reassuring the pups the pack had already. After Raul, Diego, Juliet and Connor were assured they would be loved no matter how many babies were born into the pack, everyone looked like they wanted to continue their interrogation of Derek and Erica.

Thankfully Derek put a stop to that. "Guys, calm down. Its still early, we have time to figure things out. All we know is that we are very happy about this pregnancy. Lets go celebrate and relax at the lake."

At Derek's suggestion everyone dispersed to get ready for an afternoon at the lake.

"Thanks, husband." Erica smiled hugging him. "I love you."

"It was my pleasure wife. I love you too."

"Derek, promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"That we will never in a million years name our child Derica."

He laughed. "Deal."

* * *

Erica entered the sheriff's station late that day. The morning sickness phase of pregnancy had finally passed. Erica and her husband spent the morning celebrating a whole week free of vomit and her screaming obscenities at him. They celebrated by giving into her most recent pregnancy symptom; being horny all the time.

She plopped down at her desk and glared at her partner who had a big grin on his face. "Reyes got laid…Reyes got laid…" He sang.

Erica growled at him and snatched the donut he was holding from his hands.

"Hey!"

"My last name is Hale." She sighed, "And you don't smell like you got lucky this weekend. A lesser person would think you are jealous."

"Of course I'm jealous. I have needs." Bill sighed dramatically. "It doesn't help that my partner is a badass pregnant alpha, who is three months along and looks like some sort of fertility goddess who could kill you with a look if she so pleased."

Erica rolled her eyes at him, and put her feet up on the desk. "Charming."

"Oh, you're just grumpy because you are on desk duty. Any other day you think I'm hysterical."

"I never think you're hysterical." She groaned, "I'm so over these human rules. Maybe it's dangerous for pregnant humans to be in the field but she-wolves are resilient."

Bill grinned and stood up. "Well, we have to play by human rules. Now if you'll excuse me my temporary partner and I have a squad car that's calling our name." he said heading for the door.

She glared at him until he and his temporary partner were out of sight. At least she didn't have to spend the day in a police cruiser with that clown…who was she kidding she missed being in the field! She should have never told the sheriff she was pregnant!

Okay, so he already knew and he had let her work as a cop until she started to show. So really if anyone was to blame for this it was her baby for growing so fast, and she couldn't be mad at her child for growing at a healthy rate for a wolf pup. This was only her first day of desk duty…she could do this for six months.

* * *

"Eri…what the fuck was that?" Derek mumbled sleepily.

"Shut up Der, I'm sleeping." She groaned holding him tighter. Yeah, it was difficult being the big spoon with her baby belly, but Derek and her both liked being the big spoon so they switched every night since they started sharing a bed. She knew that her belly would allow her to do this for much longer so she was savoring her last few nights as a big spoon while she had them.

"No, you're not. You are poking me in the back." He said getting up and turning on the lights.

Erica groaned and checked the clock. "Derek it's three a.m., I don't need your hallucinations right now. Some of us work…"

"Yeah, we both work. That's my point. Stop poking me, woman."

"Liar." She said grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him before standing up to go to the bathroom. As soon as the morning sickness stopped, the need to pee constantly set in and Erica was not a fan.

She got halfway to the bathroom before she grabbed her stomach and let out a gasp. "Holy crap."

Derek rushed to her side with a look of pure concern on his face.

"Husband, is this what you felt?" She said bringing his hands to her stomach.

He nodded, and a grin broke out on his face.

"She's kicking you dummy. You felt her first kicks."

His grin turned into a full smile and he picked her up and twirled her around before setting her back down. "Wait…she? I thought Mel didn't tell you the gender? She wanted us to be surprised."

Erica sighed; she didn't know how to explain her dream and her experience in the in-between to him. "I just know Der. I know it's a girl."

Derek looked skeptical, but kissed her forehead and nodded his head. "I guess that will narrow down my name list."

Erica glared at him. "We just agreed last night that you would handle first names for our children and I would do their middle names…you're telling me you already have a list?"

He simply shrugged and headed back to bed. "You can look at it while you're in the bathroom… its in my briefcase."

Erica glared at her husband and went towards the closet to rifle through her husband's briefcase.

She'd done this a hundred times before and she found the same old stuff; boring company reports…more boring company reports… memos galore…a note from Slutty Assistant about a lunch meeting tomorrow with the partners…and Derek's personal folder that held his legal pad and calendar.

Erica ripped up the note from the assistant and walked to the bathroom to throw it in the trash. She then used the bathroom.

After she was done she sat at the vanity seat and added the lunch meeting with the partners into Derek's calendar before flipping through his notebook looking for his list of baby names.

_Baby Names:_

_Derek_

_Erik_

_Talia_

_Amory_

_Etta_

_Nadine_

_Avery_

_Lyn_

_Jonah_

_Julian_

_Aubrey_

_Emery_

_Andromeda_

_Kendrick_

One name stood out on the list. Once she read it she knew it was the baby in her belly's name, and when she paired it with her mother's first name her child kicked again.

She closed the folder and placed it back in the briefcase before climbing back into bed. She curled up into her husband and whispered their child's name to him; seeking his approval. "Andromeda Lyn Hale."

"It's perfect." He said turning around and giving her one of his heart-stopping smiles.

"She's going to be perfect." Erica said turning around and pulling her husbands arms around her.

"But it's your night to be the big spoon." He said puzzled.

"Derek, don't ruin the moment. You've been dealing with my hormonal mood changes for four months. Just roll with it."

He laughed and rubbed her stomach. "Yes dear."

* * *

Did people forget she was an alpha werewolf? Or did people think her ability to kill them with little effort went away as her belly got bigger?

She couldn't run simple errands without townspeople of every species coming up to her and patting her belly. At least most of them had enough sense to show her a bit of respect by calling her Alpha Hale or Deputy Hale. She was getting irritated. She just wanted to be able to walk around town without being accosted, having her belly felt up and being questioned about all things baby.

Ever since the whole town knew of the supernatural, the Hale Pack had gotten more respect. They were the biggest family/group of supernaturals in Beacon Hills and the town's protectors. Now the all whispers and gossip about them were positive, unlike when she first joined and the whole town thought they were a cult. So, it made sense that her baby would be big, exciting news. Andromeda would be the next leader of the Hale Pack if all went according to plan, it would fall to her to lead the pack in protecting the town. Her impending birth was big news in Beacon Hills. Erica just wished that they could have a bit of respect for the current alpha of the Hale Pack while paying their respects to the future alpha that was currently tap-dancing on her bladder.

"I'll go get the car, sit down on that bench okay?" Rosalyn told her. She had taken Rosalyn shopping with her this fine Saturday morning because she was the only pack member that didn't seem to have baby fever. Yeah, Rose was protective of Erica and her child, but she didn't want to smother her with safety; she didn't try to tell Erica what she could and could not do; and she was interested in carrying conversations that didn't involve the massive baby to do list she had yet to touch.

Erica nodded and made her way to the bench. She sighed breathing in the fresh air and smell of strangers.

She had been a jerk to her mate and pack lately and they kicked her out of the den, saying she could take one pack mate for company. The rest of the pack was working on the nursery, baby proofing the den and finishing that huge list of things that they needed to do before the baby came. They were a good pack. She was a bad alpha.

Great, now she was crying.

She was seven months along in her pregnancy and she wanted her daughter to be born. Everything hurt, she was huge, kind people on the street interested in her life annoyed her, her loving husband annoyed her, her in laws annoyed her, her pack annoyed her…everything was getting on her last nerve. In the past few months she had gotten written up four times for sucker punching a fellow officer (Bill deserved it, he could have just kept his trap shut and not commented on her weight gain); she had lost control of her shift three times (once she was in public…that was bad); and had cussed out three innocent bystanders on the street. Pregnancy did not agree with her.

Her pack was lovely. They took her mood swings in stride and gave as good as they got; they did not take the verbal abuse lying down, which helped her feel less like crap when she was lucid. They helped her when she needed it, and did puppy piles with no complaint when her mood swung to feeling needy…even if it was the middle of the night. They deserved a better alpha than her.

Rosalyn pulled up to the curb and started to load their bags into the trunk. "Alpha if your crying and doing the same 'I'm a bad alpha' bullcrap routine I'm tattling on you."

"But I am. I've been horrible."

Rosalyn sighed and walked over to Erica, kneeling down in front of Erica so she could look her in the eyes. "Not all the time, and we expected it. You're getting better the longer you get used to it; no one blames you with all those alpha instincts and baby hormones living in your body…to be honest we were expecting worse. Peter said Talia was much worse while she was pregnant with Laura. You are doing great. Just a few more months left and you'll have a beautiful baby girl." She smiled, holding her hand out to help Erica up. "Look on the bright side… if you decide to get pregnant again it'll be a walk in the park compared to this."

Erica rolled her eyes and allowed rose to help her into the car. Another baby? She was going insane and her first hadn't even been born yet. "Slow down Rose, your getting way ahead of yourself."

Rosalyn laughed. "No I'm not. There is already a bet going on how long it takes after your first child is born for you to get knocked up again."

Erica growled. She loved her pack but they were ridiculous.

* * *

"I am never having sex again." Erica said, while trying to catch her breath after the latest contraction.

"Most women say that sweetie." Melissa said from her place at the foot of the bed. "They never stick with it. Now, focus and get ready to push. You are fully dilated."

Erica groaned. They had opted for a birth in the poolhouse's "wolf hospital" instead of the regular hospital. She wanted to do this at home, and trusted Melissa, Marin and Braeden completely to get her and her child through the whole process. If she were human and could have pain meds, she probably would have went to the hospital but she couldn't. She much rather be around the people she loved than strangers she didn't know enough to trust.

Derek had been with her the whole time. Through all fifteen hours so far. He was now pushing her up so he could situate himself behind her and help her through the birth. Marin, Braden and Melissa were the only other people present in the room. She didn't want the whole pack seeing this but she could hear them outside on the playground playing with the pups while they waited. It comforted her to know they were nearby.

Erica was exhausted. Her first contraction happened at eight last night and it had been nothing but exhausting since then. This baby was taking her sweet time.

"You can do this Erica. Just a few pushes and you can rest." Derek said, rubbing her back.

"If you think that I'm going to sleep while you bond with our baby without me think again Derek." Erica growled. "I'm going through labor, I've been carting her around fro nine months, I get to cuddle with her first. End of stor-OH HOLY HELL I NEED TO PUSH."

Derek began leeching pain from her as Melissa and Marin coached her through the process of giving birth and Braeden stood nearby ready to clean off and examine the baby. The whole thing went quicker than the hours long first phase of labor but it was far more painful than she imagined it could be. When all was said and done, she felt her daughter enter the world with a loud wail.

Erica and Derek watched in awe as Braeden and Marin looked over the baby and cleaned her off, making sure she was healthy. While they were doing that Erica felt the link with her daughter form in the pack link. She gasped at the feelings she began to feel from the little girl. The link her and Derek felt with Andi was different than the link she had with the rest of the pack. This was unbreakable, she didn't feel this because she was Andi's alpha, she felt this because she was her mother and she never felt something so amazing in her life.

Erica and Derek were in tears when Braeden finally brought their daughter to them. Once Andromeda was in Erica's arms, Derek wrapped his arms around them protectively.

Andromeda was looking around perplexed, as if offended that she had to be in this new world. Erica laughed through her tears. "Hi Andromeda. I'm your Mommy and this guy behind me is your Daddy."

"We love you so much." Derek said grabbing one of Andi's tiny fists with one of his fingers

The baby seemed unimpressed and Erica felt the exhaustion her daughter felt as the girl closed her eyes. "What a good idea. Mommy needs sleep too. Derek take her, but stay close, I don't think I could sleep if I cant hear your heartbeats."

Marin pulled a chair up to the bed and Melissa rolled a hospital issue baby crib to them. Everyone left and Derek settled on the chair, taking Andromeda in his arms and looking at her in awe. "She's stunning."

"Well she takes after us." Erica sighed lying down on the bed. "I love you Derek."

"I love you too." Her husband said, his eyes not leaving their sleeping daughter.

Erica sighed and began drifting off to sleep. "I've waited so long for you Andromeda Lyn. I've wanted you since I first saw you in that dream. I cant wait to get to know you." she whispered.

"Erica, what dream are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you later Der. I'm tired. Watch over our angel while I'm asleep."

* * *

Andromeda was four when she first shifted into a wolf. Until this day Andi had only ever used her beta form when she was upset or on the full moon. Erica knew it was coming; all women born into the Hale family could shift into an actual wolf. She just didn't expect it for a few years. Laura first shifted at ten, Cora at seven and Malia at eight…Andromeda was way ahead of schedule. Seeing the wolf pup floored Erica because she was the same pup Erica saw in a dream five years ago, and her child (in human form) was looking more and more like that six-year-old girl each day.

"Huh." Derek said watching the tiny black wolf pup yip and run around the living room. "Well, she is your daughter Erica."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Erica growled as turned away from watching Andi run circles around a two-year-old Aubrey to glare at her husband.

"I just mean that you did everything ahead of schedule when you became a wolf. You got hold of your abilities much faster than expected. Its not surprising that the same control was passed onto our children…" Derek said eyes widening as he observed the new sight. "Oh god."

"Me too!" Erica heard Aubrey say, and Erica turned around in time watch in horror as her two year old finished her shift into a tiny white wolf pup who then joined her sister in running around the living room.

"Oh god." Erica sighed before turning to her husband to yell at him. "TWO YEARS OLD! TWO! SHE CAN BARELY FORM COMPLETE SENTENCES SHE HAS NO BUSINESS SHIFTING AT TWO!"

Derek raised his eyebrow at her. "Its not my fault our daughters are powerful." He said before addressing the now whimpering pups, "Girls, Mommy isn't mad at you, she's just scared that you shifted so soon. Why don't you run outside and wait for Daddy?"

The pups yipped and ran towards the back door.

"Sorry for yelling, they are just so young." Erica said pulling Derek in for a hug.

He kissed her and hugged her back. "They'll be fine. I'll teach them how to shift, and if I need help Laura, Cora or Malia will be happy to help."

They held each other's hand and made their way to the back door. Derek began stripping as soon as they were on the back porch. "You know there was a time when you blushed at me getting undressed." He told her before he shifted into his hulk-wolf form.

"Yeah, well it takes a lot more than you naked to make me blush Derek."

Derek growled, as if he was saying that he was talking her statement as a challenge. Erica rolled her eyes and walked ahead of him towards the field where her daughters were play fighting each other in wolf form. Erica sat down on the grass and Derek ran past her.

The girls began to bark and chased Derek around the training fields for a bit. Erica knew that Hale-wolves could communicate with each other telepathically and hoped that Derek was giving them advice on how to shift back, not just playing with them. It wasn't long before all three wolves stopped running around and started inching towards her. Erica laughed as Derek showed the girls how to crouch down, and he stepped back to watch their daughters attack. Simultaneously the girls sprang up from their crouch and began running towards her.

Erica smiled and let the girls tackle her to the ground and kiss her face. In seconds the wolf kisses turned into human kisses and Erica opened her eyes to see her giggling daughters smiling down at her.

"Hi Mommy." Andromeda said.

"Hi Baby."

"Hi Mommy." Aubrey imitated.

"Hi Baby."

Erica sat up and cradled both of her children in her arms. "Mommy loves you and is proud of you."

They both giggled. "Daddy said that we should stay here, he is coming back after he shifts and gets us all knew clothes." Andi informed, as soon as Erica noticed her husband was missing from the field.

"Mommy?" Aubrey said.

"Yes?"

"Are you mad?"

"Nope. Just surprised."

"Told you Duh!" Aubrey giggled. Erica bit back a laugh at how Aubrey pronounced Andromeda's name. The child could say 'Andi' she just loved the reaction she got from the entire pack when she said 'Duh' instead.

"You thought I was mad you shifted Andromeda?"

Andi nodded and cuddled closer to Erica. "You were upset when I shifted and then you yelled when Aubrey shifted. Then you yelled at Daddy. But Daddy told us it because you are worried about us being safe. He made us promise not to shift unless you or him were there to watch over us."

"That's a good rule. I was only upset because I don't want my puppies hurt. I love you both very much and don't want you ever to be hurt." Erica said.

"We love you too Mommy!" Andi said.

Erica held her girls close until Derek came back carrying a change of clothes for each daughter. They both grabbed a child and helped her into her clothes. Once dressed her children ran towards the playground. It was a Saturday afternoon and almost time for training. All the kids not old enough to train (or not werewolf) would play on the playground while the rest of the pack trained or watched over them.

Erica sighed as she watched her girls. "Andi is going to have to start training soon."

Derek sat down next to her. "She's growing up to fast. So is Aubrey."

"Before you know it they'll be dating."

Derek growled at the suggestion, and Erica laughed.

"Mommy! Daddy Come push us!" Andi yelled from the swing set.

Erica and Derek helped each other up and made their way to the playground. Derek ended up having Aubrey hold on to him while he swung on the swing set (because she was to tiny to be on by herself) as Erica pushed her eldest. She loved her family, she loved her pack and she loved her life.

She couldn't imagine how it could get any better.

"Higher Mommy!" Andi giggled. "We have to beat Aubrey and Daddy!"

* * *

Prompt(s): I combined three requests into one chapter- a) cerys132 on tumblr asked for a chapter on the birth of Derek/Erica's first child…and snippets of the pregnancy itself b) zerohero4376 on asked for Derek/Erica pregnancy/family fluff and c)DCT Won't Forget You Now on asked about the packs reaction to pregnancy

**I am still accepting prompts for the "Life and Times of A She-Wolf" universe.**


	3. The Hale Curse

**Disclaimer: I do not own TW or the characters, just my AU/AR. (and MY OCs). Also FYI, this is un-betaed, so all the mistakes are mine**

**Check out my tumblr (hailhaleswriting) Or visit allhailhales DOT webs DOT com / teen-wolf for bonus info and updates on this fic and others.**

* * *

Summary: Laura Hale grew up a cursed crown princess, so when her death came at the hands of her uncle she wasn't as surprised as you'd think she'd be. What surprised her was her re-birth and her curse breaking.

* * *

**Life and Times of a She-Wolf**

**The Wolves of Beacon Hills**

**The Hale Curse**

* * *

At the time of Laura Marcela Hale's birth, she was second in line to an important throne. Her grandmother was Alpha of the northern most wolf pack in California.

The pack had many names in the wolf community...The Beacon County Pack, The Triskele Pack, The American Nematon's Guardians…but most people called them The Hale Pack once Grandmother married Grandfather and took his last name. Their pack was very important in the supernatural community because of the territory they guarded. A nematon drew many creatures and not all of them had the best of intentions… and the one that sat in the middle of the Beacon Hills Preserve was the only one in North America. Because of this, Beacon County was home to many supernatural beings and Laura's family had the job of protecting the innocent inhabitants of their territory and punishing those who used their powers for evil.

Laura was not aware of it at the time, but the day she turned one-year old her life changed drastically. Her grandparents had died, and her mother was now Alpha…a queen within her own right, and the pack had descended into turmoil. Everyone had been spread out over the county living on their own but the day the Alpha and her mate died the pack all moved back home. The Hale Family became distrustful of those around them; hunters had moved back to Beacon County; the pack had to protect itself. Which meant Laura was under constant guard.

When she was six, she asked Uncle Petey why she wasn't allowed to go to school, play with children that weren't her "cousins" or why she wasn't allowed to be alone. He explained to her that she was no mere princess; she was the next Alpha of the pack…the heir-apparent. When her mother died she would lead them all. He explained that bad people lived in the town, and the easiest way for the bad people to hurt the pack was to hurt the Alpha's only heir. A wolf pack needed reassurance of leadership to control their shifts; they needed to know that they would always have a leader.

That day she prayed for a sibling. If she had a sibling she wouldn't need a constant guard. She could go to school with her cousins, she could make friends that weren't pack…She could be someone else besides her mother's heir.

She loved Mommy and Daddy, and she knew they loved her…but they were the Alpha and Alpha-mate; their first duty was to the pack, not to her. They both hated that she had to be hidden away, and did their best to take her places like parks and museums when they could, just so she could get off of pack land. But she wanted that freedom all the time.

When Laura was seven, her little grumpy brother was born. Derek was a Mommy-hog but he was pretty cool when he was sleeping and weeks after he was born Mommy and Daddy took her to enroll her in school.

Finally she wasn't simply "Laura, Heir of Talia". She was Laura Hale newest member of Miss Samson's second grade class.

* * *

Exactly ten years after her life changed for good, Laura's world was shattered.

It was her eleventh birthday, and her Dad was supposed to pick her up from school early. They were going to go to the mall and he was going to buy her ice cream and help her pick a dress for the Daddy-Daughter dance at school next week. She and Dad had gone to the dance every year since second grade and they always had the best time. She felt like she was getting too old to go to these, but Dad loved it still and she didn't have the heart to tell him she wanted to break tradition.

During lunchtime she thought she heard her Mom roar in pain, and got scared. Mom was powerful and no one could hurt her. She got worried for Mom, and was preparing to ask Dad what happened when he picked her up in an hour.

After lunch, the class sang happy birthday to her and they ate the cupcakes her mom and great-aunt made. She was laughing and they were all settling into their desks, getting ready to go back to work when Uncle Petey walked into the classroom and handed her teacher a note.

"Laura, let's go grab your things…" he said. Laura shrugged and gathered her books, and as she left the room she could have sworn she smelt tears from her teacher.

"Petey, Dad was supposed to pick me up." She said when they made it to the car, "Did something happen to Mom?" she asked worriedly.

The next few days were a blur to Laura. The pack mourned the loss of her father, and her mother's cousins. They had been killed by hunters.

* * *

Her Abuelo and Abuela had come up from Mexico for the funeral, and told Laura stories of how they came to adopt her Dad, and the silly things he used to do when he was a pup. It hurt to hear the stories, but also helped with the loss to hear about her Dad as a kid. Mom hadn't been able to tell stories, she had been too sad, and had gotten even more sad when she found out she was pregnant again.

"You must tell these stories to Der-Bear and the baby, Laura." Abuelo said, tickling her little brother trying to get a smile. "He is very young, one day he might not remember your father and this new baby won't know him at all. We do not see you children often enough to tell the stories so his memory lives on..."

"It is not fair." Laura said. "How will we go on without Daddy?"

"It will not be easy my dear one." Abuela said, "But you have the heart of a warrior, so much like my son. It will not be easy for us to live without him either Laura, but he lives on in you, Junior and in the new baby. That brings me comfort, knowing that he will be watching from the afterlife with pride as his children grow and thrive."

That comforted Laura too. Their religion taught them that death was not really the end. Mother Moon would always care for the souls of her children as long as they were good at the core of their being. Dad was a good person; Mother Moon would take care of him. It was not the end.

* * *

A few nights later, Laura hopped out of the car and ran towards the family mausoleum where the cremated remains of every deceased relative of her family were put to rest since the official founding of Beacon Hills. She sat herself in front of the place where her father's remains rested.

_Derek Diaz Hale_

_Father. Husband. Son. Friend._

"Hi Daddy." She began, "I just came back from the Daddy-Daughter dance. I know how much you liked that, so I asked Abuelo to take me one last time. I'm wearing the dress you picked out for me last year but it was too big then. I know it's weird, but for a minute I thought you were there with us. Abuelo told a silly joke and I heard you laugh… I miss you Daddy. And I think I always will."

Laura stood up and kissed the stone that held his name before leaving the mausoleum and heading towards the house. Her abuelo had already gone inside and her mother stood in the open door looking at her.

"Laura, you look beautiful."

"Thanks mom."

Her mother moved out of the way so Laura could enter, and then began to walk up the stairs.

"Mom?" Laura said after shutting and locking the door.

"Yes darling?"

"If we can't kill the hunters, why don't we just leave? We aren't that large of a pack these days, we could blend in elsewhere."

Her mother sighed and lifted her up, carrying her to the living room. She hadn't been held by her mother like this was since Derek was born. It felt nice. Mom grabbed an old book off the shelf and settled them both on the floor, setting the book on the coffee table and looking Laura in the eye.

"Laura, it is our duty to protect this territory and its inhabitants. And a few narrow-minded humans will not stop us from our duty. Our ancestors gave their lives for this town and the vulnerable individuals in it. It is as much a part of our birthright as our ability to fully shift is. It's who our family is; Protectors, Guardians. No matter our status in the pack…Alpha, Beta or Omega, we guard those weaker than ourselves with our lives. It's our identity, our Mother Moon-given gift. It is so much bigger than vengeance. I want nothing more than to tear apart everyone responsible for your father's death, but my primary duty is to the pack and the town." Her mother said, "Most pack books and Alpha Journals are in the family vault, but I like to keep some around the house to remind me why I uphold the family legacy. After my parents were killed and I became Alpha I craved vengeance but this book and the others like it reminded me why vengeance for the sake of vengeance was the wrong path. This is our family history Laura, this is our legacy. You and I are the most recent in a long line of great guardians and we are responsible for the safety of all the souls under our protection and leadership."

Laura opened the book and began reading. It was a journal of an ancestor she had never heard of before this day. She read as her ancestor wrote of feeling as though he was pulled out west by an invisible string, dreamed of a shining beacon calling him far away from the civilization he grew up in. He wrote of him and a small band of supernaturals making the journey westward. When he arrived, he struggled with the decision to claim territory so close to a nematon, he did not want to burden his descendents with the responsibility that would come with such important territory. Then he wrote of the small tribe of natives he had met, their leader had claimed him as her mate. She was an alpha as well and this was her land, her people had protected the nematon since humans and weres settled on the continent. Her ancestor spoke of the importance of protecting this land, the Great Tree and the people of the settlement from those who wished to use The Great Tree for evil means. That he hoped that his descendents would understand…

Over the next few years, in between Alpha lessons with her mother and her duties as a big sister (Derek needed to be teased regularly or his ego got too big…that little turd) Laura would read more Journals from different ancestors. They all struggled with their duty to the people under their protection and being able to exact vengeance when tragedy struck. They all struggled with the unbearable weight of the noble alphas before them. They all came to the conclusion eventually that even if they weren't alphas they would protect the territory, the people in it and the nematon with their lives.

"_Because no matter what I am…Alpha, Beta or Omega... I have a duty to use my gifts to protect those who cannot do so for themselves." _ Her thrice-great grandfather wrote, "_It is in my blood, my being, to protect. I don't know if I could ignore this duty even if I tried. And if somehow I was able to ignore the family legacy…how could I face my ancestors in the afterlife after abandoning the territory that every last one of them, no matter their status, gave their all for?."_

He was right. Laura loved this town and would protect it with her life. As an Alpha, as a Beta or as an Omega

… Laura Hale would protect the residents of Beacon County from those who would harm them.

* * *

Marin Deaton was a bitch.

Laura never had the _pleasure_ of meeting her until today. Mom was best friends with Marin's older brother, and he was her Emissary. Ava Deaton, Marins mother, had been Emissary when Laura's grandmother was alpha, but stepped down when she died because every alpha needed a new Emissary. So Laura was familiar with the Deatons. Marin was a year younger than Laura, years ahead of Laura in school (because she was basically a genius) and spent six months each year in France with her father. Then she went to college at sixteen. So the first time they met was at Marin's Welcome Home/Happy Graduation from Grad School Party.

Laura had been jittery at the time. Her twenty-first birthday had just passed and she was starting to think that tragedy would strike every ten years for her family, so she was waiting for the something big and devastating to happen. When she got a whiff of Marin, and her wolf screamed "mate", Laura had been so relived and excited, (maybe she wasn't cursed after all!) she simply ran over to her and attacked her with her tongue. Not the best first impression.

Mom and Ms Deaton were excited. Finally, the bond between their families would be sealed by marriage.

"Isn't it lovely that they are mates? How exciting! The Alpha and her Emissary-Mate! Surely that's a first." Ms. Deaton said.

"Mother, I've told you. I don't want to follow in your footsteps. I want to choose my own pack and my own path! I don't care about destiny."

"You can't expect Braeden to be Laura's Emissary; she's too young to connect with her." Alan said, "And how are you going to be an Emissary to another pack when your mate is heir to the Hale Pack?"

"She's not my mate." Marin hissed. "I'm not a dyke."

Laura ran away in tears so she didn't hear the rest of the argument the Deaton family had that led to Marin leaving town and changing her last name to her father's last name. Being rejected by a mate was a painful blow to a born wolf. Laura could feel her unconsummated, weak bond with the Druid but knew it would never become anything. How could she say such a hateful word? How could she not feel their bond? Laura was devastated.

Unfortunately, her twenty-first year had more devastation waiting for her.

* * *

Three nights after Marin's party, she was driving home with her siblings. Cora decided that they needed to have a sibling night, because "you are both acting super weird". Derek had been acting odd and jumpy since the whole Paige incident (understandable) and Laura had spent the last few days crying her eyes out in her locked room. Cora had dragged them out the door earlier that evening decreeing that is was sibling time and they would have pizza in town and see a movie.

Halfway through the movie they heard howls and ran from the theater. Laura collapsed in the parking lot and began to feel intense agony for minutes on end until finally, as quickly as she felt the pack links, all the links all snapped and all that was left was a two strong links (her siblings) and one fading link (Petey).

She had stood up and looked at her siblings through a red haze. Their blue and yellow eyes shined back at her in the darkness. "Get in the car. We'll cry in the car." She told them.

They had all cried in the backseat. Derek and Cora knew that Laura could only have red eyes if Mom had died. And Laura told them that she felt the deaths of all the pack. They were all that was left of the Hale Pack.

When they saw the fire trucks speed by, they decided to go see what happened.

* * *

After placing Uncle Peter in assisted care, sorting out the estate of the dead, placing them in the mausoleum and gaining custody of her siblings, Laura made her way to the Deaton home.

"Kate Argent seduced Derek. He told me. And I smelt Argents at the house. I can't prove anything." She told them. "Derek's broken, Cora is filled with anger and hatred…I don't know if I can raise them here. I don't want to abandon my family's duty, but I'm their alpha and guardian…I have to do what's best for them."

"Laura, you do what you must for your brother and sister. One day you will come back and rebuild the Hale Pack." Ms. Deaton said. "Who knows maybe my daughter will wise up by then and she will help you?"

Laura snorted. "Ms. Deaton, with all due respect…"

"Call me Ava darling, you're an Alpha now."

"Ava, I don't have hopes for Marin and I. But returning and rebuilding? I will be up for that as soon as I feel like Derek and Cora can handle living here again. I've been accepted to grad school at NYU for business. We will be moving there. Mom's friend Satomi has offered to have some of her betas come up here and patrol every few weeks."

"Laura, your teaching degree…" Ava said sadly.

"…Is useless when I'm expected to take my Mom's place at Hale Holdings. The Board has agreed to conference me in on board meetings and appoint a temporary CEO…but they say that Hale Holdings without a Hale is worthless and stock could plummet, the family fortune could be lost. I'll come back every few months to check in with The Council and check on the land while I attend obligatory board meetings."

"If you ever need anything, just let us know." Alan told her, "The Council is more than capable of protecting the town for a few years. And Satomi is a trustworthy alpha; she will help look after the territory and will not make moves to claim it as her own while you are away. The territory will be fine. Your ancestors will be proud you are taking care of your packs needs above all else, including your wants."

Laura nodded and said her goodbyes and prepared to move her siblings cross-country.

* * *

Every few months, she would leave New York for California. Each visit she would check in on her Uncle Petey, say Hi to the Deatons (and after Ava passed, visit her grave), make sure the family property hadn't been messed with, stop by the mausoleum, check in with The Council and then make her way to Hale Holdings to do her CEO thing. The week after her thirty-first birthday was one of those visits.

She always thought her family cursed, she just never thought that the curse would claim her. She had hoped that a few dead animals with the symbol for vengeance was the worst the curse would bring this year. Derek and Cora needed her…they were all they had. But as soon as she saw Uncle Petey in the woods she knew that she and her Uncle would be the next victims of the Hale Curse.

Peter's mind was gone, he wasn't really her uncle at that point, he was focused on vengeance and she was standing in his way.

As he dealt the death blow, she could help but think it ironic. Peter had been the first person to explain to her what her place and the pack was in simple terms a six year old to understand; A Crowned-Princess that would one day hold great power and be a great Queen. The person who taught her about her power was now killing her to steal her power.

She wanted to laugh, she was no great Queen. She was mediocre. She had little interest in anything but healing her siblings and working on getting them in a mental state so they could move back to the ancestral home.

Would they feel her death? Would Cora forgive her? Would Derek be able to step up and do what he had to? Could Derek kill Peter, protect the town from him? Would her baby brother be the one to rebuild the pack?

In that moment after death she saw the grand plan. Laura was never meant to be the alpha that restored the pack, Derek was. She was Queen-Reagent, keeping watch over the pack until the boy king was ready to lead. She was the one that taught Derek, as Mom had taught her. Laura had been the one that taught him how to be a good wolf, a good person, a good leader, and guide him through his trouble teens. Her baby brother was already working at the Hale Holdings offices in New York and was a fair businessman. He was all grown up now. He and Core didn't need her anymore, they had each other, and they have the teachings she passed on to them guide them. They were ready.

She had no regrets or ill feelings about her lot in life. She was proud to have been Laura Hale. So she watched her brother get revenge for her death and him and Core build the pack and pack home they always dreamed of.

She was so proud of those little turds.

* * *

So dying sucked… living in the _in-between_ was lonely… seeing her dead relatives when they visited was great…and looking down on the people she loved hurt and felt good all at the same time. Laura could deal with all that though. The one thing Laura could not deal with like a champ? Being re-born.

First of all…re-birth hurt one thousand times more than death.

Second of all Fuckin Marin Morell had joined the pack as Emissary to Erica (her baby brother's Mate). Seeing that beautiful abandoner again…well it was like the first time all over again except this time the bond was stronger… apparently Marin felt Laura die and regretted how she treated her and now that she was back, she wanted to give it a whirl.

Third of all she was so confused on how old she was…was she still thirty-one or was she supposed to count the two years she wasn't so much alive in her age?

Fourth and finally, why did people find it so odd that she punched Uncle Petey and the immediately gave him a big ass hug? She was a complicated person.

Erica and Derek had made her Elder, and honestly Laura _owned_ the position. Her aunt and uncle and the McCall-Stilinskis were Elders as well but they didn't have the experience of running a pack that Laura had. And the packs Seconds and Thirds were competent, but still needed some guidance (they were just kids). So Laura became super-Elder in the weeks after her re-birth while Der-Bear and Blondie were playing sleeping beauty. If it's one thing her life taught her it was how to handle a crisis, so she knew what the pack needed before they did.

"Do you miss being an alpha?" a voice asked from the door way to her new room. The Main house of _Wolf's Run_ (she still couldn't believe Derek used her exact blueprints) had been rebuilt after the latest fire and this was the first night they had all moved back. She loved Uncle Petey and his family but she was super glad she wasn't sleeping on her cousin Diego's bunk bed anymore (the kid snored worse than Cora). She had her own room now, a home in the new pack house. For the first time since re-birth she felt settled.

So of course Marin had to sneak in and stand creepily in her doorway, and ask super personal questions while looking hella beautiful.

"No. I can still look out for the pack without alpha-hood. Derek and his child bride were born to be alphas, I was simply holding Derek's place while he became who he needed to be. My family has guarded this town since way before its founding Marin, we have always been protectors no matter our pack rank."

Marin entered the room and sat down on the seat by the window. "The thing that always pissed me off about you was you blind acceptance of your duty. You would think that it be your childish personality or the fact you attacked me with your mouth the first time we met in person. But it isn't. It's the fact that from such a young age you have been accepting of what your role is to be and according to my mother you never rebelled. The blind devotion to the family line was never something that came easy to me, and whenever my mother and I fought she'd say. _'Laura Hale accepts her duty without complaining why can't you…_'."

"That must have really sucked Marin. Finding out the girl that was used against you in agreement was actually your mate." Laura rolled her eyes. "I never saw a point in complaining about the path Mother Moon had for me. At times it was devastating but every moment lead to this one we have now. Everyone's safe, my siblings are with the people they love, and hopefully the family curse is broken."

"Curse?"

"Uncle Peter was heavy on the fairytale stuff when I was a kid. He used the Royalty metaphor to explain the alpha-dom and family to me. It stuck, I use it a lot. The fact that tragedy struck the pack every ten years since my birth felt pretty curse-like to me. I think my death and re-birth was the end of it. But you can't be too sure."

"That's ridiculous Laura. You are not cursed."

Laura glared at the beautiful jerk that was her mate. "You're right Marin life for the Hale Pack has been nothing but sunshine and roses for the past thirty-three years. Silly me, I must have imagined it."

Marin stood up and walked towards Laura, stopping in front of her."I'm not saying that life was easy Laur, I'm saying that maybe this was all written. This all needed to happen. I'm saying that a lot of horrible things happened for us to get to this moment. Hell it took you dying to realize what an idiot I had been and it took my niece mating with Rosalyn to realize that female-female mate bonds were not something to be afraid of. I'm saying if that crap hadn't happened I'd still be that stubborn fool that missed her own mother's funeral, and spent a decade ignoring her mate bond. I'm not that person anymore."

And if Marin's little speech didn't mind-fuck her, then finding herself pinned to the bed under Marin a moment later, the Druid's lips attacking hers, sure did the trick.

The throat clearing caused the kissing to stop, which was not something Laura was happy with at all. Cora, Malia and their mates were standing in the doorway with mischievous smiles on their faces (smiles that would have made Laura proud if she were not on the receiving end of them).

"We have a policy in the Main House. It's a closed door policy." Cora said, "No one wants to see their sibling or cousin get it on with their mate."

"I actually prefer the open door policy, but it makes my dearest love uncomfortable." Stiles said.

"That's cause you are a pervert." Malia said as Vernon smacked Stiles on the back of the head.

Stiles let out an indignant squawk and walked away.

"I'm happy the two of you are working things out." Vernon said before leaving the doorway to enter his and Malia's room.

"One time Derek forgot to shut the door. I still have nightmares about what I saw as I walked by that room." Cora said.

Malia grabbed Cora's hand in one of her own and the door knob in the other. She dragged Cora away while shutting the door.

Finally, some privacy.

"So are we mates now?"

"Yes," Marin smiled.

"Like Facebook Official together right?" Laura asked.

Marin rolled her eyes and kissed Laura again.

* * *

Laura was forty-one (yes, she was counting the dead years) and was not afraid of tragedy falling on her family. Marin had made her believe that this was what was supposed to happen. That if the bad never happened, the pack wouldn't have formed, and their two little angels wouldn't be alive and in her arms.

Well, they weren't in her arms right now. And maybe angels was not the most appropriate term, they here too much like her. They were toddling around Laura and Marin's bedroom. Ava was trying to chase her older (by a month) brother Alan, because the Druid-toddler had magic-ed the Wolf-toddler's favorite stuffed animal out of her hands and into his own.

Laura had carried Ava and Marin had carried Alan. They had gotten pregnant by the same donor (who knew those crafty druids had their own sperm banks?), so the kids would be blood siblings too. They decided to name the kids after Marin's deceased mother and brother. Derek had snatched Mom and Dad's names up for his kids (the turd) and Braeden and her mate wanted to adopt if they had kids and gave them the go ahead to honor the Deaton side of the family. Which Laura was more than cool with, Ava and Alan Deaton were not only great Emissaries to her mother and grandmother but they had been so helpful to her while she was Alpha.

The Morell-Hale children were mischievous little shits and she loved them immensely; even when they got their sticky little fingers on her student's homework.

Marin was still at work; she had quit being a school counselor a few years ago and had opened up her own counseling practice. Laura was a high school teacher and they were currently on spring break so she had all the time in the world to spend time with her kids.

"Mommy." Ava pouted

"Alan, that's enough taunting your sister for today."

The little boy sighed and magic-ed the bear back into Ava's hands. Ava clapped her hands and Alan crossed his arms. Laura picked the boy up and cuddled him.

She worried about him. Ava was a wolf pup in a pack filled with wolf-pups. Alan was the only Druid child in the pack. The situation was all too similar to Laura's own childhood. Alan felt isolated from his pack and already felt the weight of the responsibility he would one day hold as the pack Emissary.

Her son cuddled closer into her, "Mommy. I wanna be a wolf."

"No you don't. You just want to be like everyone else." She sighed. "Don't you like being like Mama and Bray?"

"Yes. But Hales are wolves."

"No, a Hale can be any species. It doesn't matter. I had cousins that were human when I was growing up. They were still family. Being a wolf isn't everything Alan. You're just as special and precious to me and Mama as Ava is."

The little boy smiled and hugged her tighter. "Love you." He sighed.

"Love you too my sweet mini-minion."

Ava came toddling over towards her, "Mommy? Tease Uncle Derek with me?"

Alan clapped his hands, and laughed.

Laura picked up Ava and made her way out of the door with a child on each hip. "Oh, my dear mini-minions you are so my children… what should we make fun of today?"

* * *

**Prompt(s): none**

**I am still accepting prompts for the "Life and Times of A She-Wolf" universe.**

**Note: Sorry for the late-ness (see ff profile for excuses), hope you enjoyed the chapter! I hope to have more up soon. **


	4. The Safest Place On Earth

**Summary: Wolf's Run was many things to the Hale Pack, but above all it was the place where they all felt safe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TW or the characters, just my AU/AR. (and MY OCs). Also FYI, this is un-betaed, so all the mistakes are mine**

**Check out my tumblr (hailhaleswriting) Or visit allhailhales DOT webs DOT com / teen-wolf for bonus info and updates on this fic and others.**

* * *

**Life and Times of a She-Wolf**

**The Wolves of Beacon Hills**

**The Safest Place on Earth**

* * *

Derek Hale didn't really remember whose idea it was to write it all down and sketch out the blueprints to the place they had been talking about since the fire. Maybe it was Cora, she had taken that basic architecture class in high school…or maybe it was him trying to put it all down on paper to see if their designs for a new pack-home had any flaws in security…but it was probably Laura that suggested it. She would have wanted to make the reality that they were going back one day easier for her sibling-betas to bear and putting it all down on paper and taking about how they wanted their new home to look was the best way to get Derek and Cora used to the idea.

Laura had always made it clear that their stint in New York City was temporary, that once he and Cora had emotionally recovered and graduated college, they would go back to their ancestral home and rebuild the once mighty Hale Pack. She had a duty as Alpha of the Land, and Protector of The Nematon, to return. She never wanted to leave their home behind, and only did it because she was a great alpha and sister. Laura returned to Beacon Hills every few months to check on the land and their uncle, and when she came back it was always with more ideas about their future home.

It became a family tradition. Instead of spending the full moon running around the Preserve like they had when they were kids, they would spend it locked in their apartment drawing up plans for their future home. The wall around the entire Hale property was Laura's first idea.

"_The problem with the old property is that the ancestors thought a wall around would make us look isolated. But I'm more concerned with controlling who is coming on the property and leaving. If danger is approaching then we will see it coming first."_

From there the ideas would keep flowing; security cameras, a network of escape tunnels, an underground bunker, mountain ash imbedded into the brick wall they would build, one large den for the Hale family and smaller homes that would be built to accommodate the growing pack…

Most of them were Laura's idea, some were Cora's…Derek didn't have many to contribute. Initially he didn't feel like he had the right, but after some intensive therapy and grief counseling, he came to realize that what Kate did wasn't his fault by then the plans were basically complete and his only contribution was the escape tunnel in the basement theater room. Laura thought it unnecessary as there were others planned for the Den, but Derek insisted. He had lost one pack because they were trapped in the basement, he would not lose another to a basement.

The name was Laura's stupid idea. She came up with it a few months before she died. It was one of the last decisions about their new home the three siblings made together. Derek and Cora found it ridiculous, but when their big sister had her heart set on something it was going to happen.

"_**Wolf's Run**__! That's what we'll call it!"_ she had giggled in a manic way that only his big sister could manage without looking like a lunatic.

He and Cora threw pillows at Laura as she explained how perfect the name was for the property; how it felt right, it was perfect for the family. Laura had cackled as she wrote the name in the middle of the sketch (in the empty space that represented the training field). Cora tried to knock the pen out of her hands but was unsuccessful. There it was in red pen and his big sisters loopy handwriting, the name of their future home.

After Laura's body was found in the woods of Beacon Hills, and he was cleared as a suspect in her murder he called Cora, telling her the news. Days after he killed their uncle and avenged his sister he picked Cora up at the train station and they put Laura's body to rest in the family mausoleum. They ended up burying Peter in the ruins of their old home; unable to bury someone that killed their own blood next to the one he murdered.

They grieved for both Laura and Peter that weekend. The two of them crying and howling in agony on their family property. He and Core were the last of the Hales and that fact along with the loss of Laura and Peter brought them immense grief. He wasn't worried about the Argents, or about his uncle's beta…he was too busy lost in his emotions.

On Monday morning they pulled themselves together and he drove Cora to the nearest airport. They had lives to get to; he had alpha powers, powers that belonged to his sister and his mother before him, to adjust to. And Cora had a semester in college to finish before she transferred to Hale College and she had to pack up all their things from the New York apartment.

Before she boarded the plane, Cora pulled the rolled up blueprints from her backpack and handed them to him. "It's time to rebuild big brother." She said kissing his cheek and walking away.

She was right. It was way past time. Their lands had been left vulnerable because Derek and Cora couldn't stand living in the place where their family died and Laura had been trying to be the best alpha she could be to them. Evil had taken root in their uncle and he knew it was only a matter of time before others came to take advantage of the vulnerability.

So in the months that followed he and Cora rebuilt. With help from his mom's old friend Alan and Alan's sister Marin, they were able to put mountain ash in the walls surrounding the property and alter the minds of the construction workers so they didn't remember the secret rooms in the house or the underground tunnels. With the help of Cora, Scott and Stiles he started recruiting pack members to join; lost broken souls like he and his sister were, people that needed a family.

When construction had finished at the end of that summer, Derek went to have the sign for the estate made. Cora came with him. She threw a fit when she saw he was going to have it named _Laura's Run _after their fallen sister and made him change the name back.

"That wasn't the plan Derek; we stick with the plan, with what she wanted…what would Laura say if she knew you changed the name?"

"Something along the lines of _'don't be such a turd baby brother…'_. But I want to honor her memory. She sacrificed so much for us that whole damned estate was her idea Core."

"Yeah, it was. But we honor her by being the best we can be, so when she looks down on us, her and mom can gloat to dad on the fantastic job they each did in raising us…Mommy and Laurie loved to gloat…"

Derek smiled. _Wolf's Run_ it was. He would make his big sister, his parents and his ancestors proud, he would build his pack and keep them and the community safe like all the alphas in his family had done since the beginning.

The pack loved the name and on move in day Cora told the story of the night Laura came up with the name while they were all unpacking. His pack laughed at the story and consoled him and Cora when the memory of their sister made them cry. That night when his sister and betas were settling down in their rooms (or in Stilinski's case sneaking into Cora's room when he thought Derek wasn't looking) he went to the control room and locked the gates, sighing in relief when screen said '**Alarms Engaged. Gates Secured**.'

His new family was safe. Their new home was the safest place for them to be.

* * *

_Run. _

_Keep Running._

_Don't slow down._

_Survive._

She pulled along her little brother as she tried her hardest to keep up with Raul and Diego. It felt like they had been running for days. Weeks? Months? Years? She always had trouble with time, and it had gotten more difficult to count the days since Mommy died and she received the family Gift.

Juliet knew they would be safe one day, but that did not stop her from being terrified of the bad people chasing them. The fact that one day soon they would be safe, loved and protected at _Wolf's Run_ did nothing to ease her fear of the hunters but it did help her find the strength to keep running and help her baby brother keep up.

_Wolf's Run _is the safest place of earth, filled to the brim with powerful people, who were family even though they all weren't blood related and people who would love her and protect her from harm with their lives.

It was going to be okay… One day she, her brother and their friends would be safe.

Her blood ran cold as she heard the approach of the hunters' boots and smelt the wolfsbane and gunpowder. They were closing in.

"Julie, Connor, Come on!" Raul ordered pushing Diego along before slowing down for them.

"Go hide!" She yelled, resigned as she saw the men come toward them.

_Where is the lady who saves us? Rosie, where are you?_

She was beginning to think her visions were wrong when the hunters fired at Connor. Raul picked her brother up and he and Diego began to run away from the bullets when a she-wolf in full shift came running and howled for help.

"Run Puppies!" Rosie yelled.

Juliet ran, following Raul, Diego and Connor, and couldn't help but sigh in relief once they all hid in a small cavern.

They heard the howls of a pack and the retreat of the hunters once they were in the cavern. Connor may be bleeding, they may be frightened, and they were all tired and hungry but Juliet reassured her brother, Raul and Diego that everything would be fine.

They would be safe soon.

They would be home.

* * *

Lydia Martin was not afraid of anything. She lived with her pack, and their home was quite secure. She had no reason to be afraid. Sure, she had seen things in life but, she was safe and every time she had been in a dangerous situation that she could not help herself, her friends, mate, mother, or step sister were there to protect her.

Unfortunately, the men in her family were not so lucky to have had people there to save them from the trauma life threw at them. Peter, her step father, had been trapped in a fire and lost his mind, having to live with the fact he had killed people (his niece included), bit Scott and tormented Lydia; Her little brothers had lost their birth parents to hunters and had been on the run from hunters themselves for god knows how long before being adopted by Mom and Peter. Everyone in the pack had a past full of sad, hurtful things, she was among the lucky few that had lived life with little trauma until encountering the supernatural. But perhaps the most heartbreaking past (in her opinion) was that of her mate and his brother.

Aiden and Ethan Jones were abandoned at a Los Angeles fire station when they were newborns. They were given surnames by social services and taken in by a local family, that happened to be apart of the Jackson Pack of wolves.

The Jackson Pack was more a street gang than a family, and the members of the pack treated the weak twin boys like omegas; never forgetting to remind the boys that they were useless pups that even their parents didn't want. It's not clear how bad the abuse was, Danny, Lydia and countless pack members had tried to get the twins to speak of it but they refused. Lydia did know enough to know that no one had shown these boys kindness when they were growing up, until Rosalyn Perez came to live with the pack.

The time after Rose ran away from the Jackson Alpha and his cousin, was the only time with the Jackson Pack the twins would talk about. They had seen kindness, they had known affection, and had decided that they deserved more than being treated like omegas in their own pack. They refused to take the abuse and began to run away. Social services always brought them back, and they were beat horribly for trying to leave but the twins had said that that bit of freedom was well worth the beatings.

It was these acts of defiance that drew the Alpha Pack to the twins. Deucalion, Ennis and Kali met the boys during one of their escapes and befriended them. Soon Duke was offering the twins a chance to join the Alpha Pack, have a family. The boys were desperate to get out from under the Jackson Alpha's thumb, so stealing his life and becoming alphas was not a problem for them…but the second part, the killing of the entire Jackson Pack, of all the men women and children in it gave them pause. But the Alpha Pack had been able to convince then to do it. Lydia isn't clear on the how, but she knows enough about adolescent psychology and about new alpha power to know that it wouldn't take much affection from the Alpha Pack to get the twins thinking murder was their only option and that once two teenaged boys had killed the alpha, the new power would thrive upon their old traumas by the pack and demand vengeance.

They were then declared wards of Deucalion, and lived for years with a different kind of abuse. Forced to be killers of whoever displeased the Alpha Pack and beaten for any disobedience. And they took it because for every kill they had to carry out, for every beating they took they received affection from their three pack mates. That affection meant the world to the loved-starved Jones twins.

But then they came to Beacon Hills, met their mates and lost their alpha-powers. Now they were adjusting to life in a real pack was like. A pack filled with true affection and love, a pack where the alpha didn't beat you daily and you didn't have to fight or kill for your meals. Ethan and Aiden had trouble adjusting to this new life but were willing to try for Danny and Lydia.

Aiden wakes up screaming most nights reliving either his childhood or that night he and Ethan slaughtered the Jackson Pack. He'd cry for his brother, and when they lived with Ethan and Danny, Ethan would come running into their room.

"_We're safe now Aiden. No one is ever going to hurt us again."_ Ethan would whisper as he and Aiden rocked back and forth and cried.

Those nights Lydia would crawl in bed with Danny and they'd both stare helplessly at the door, neither sure on how to help their mate. Danny once made a joke that the two of them slept together more than they slept with their mates. They both knew that the only person that understood their mate was his brother, and on some level they were okay with it. Co-dependency wasn't healthy, but if it kept the man they loved sane, they would live with it.

When Derek built more houses on _Wolf's Run_, so each mated pair (or triad) could have their own home, the twins, Danny and Lydia had protested. No one knew how to deal with the twins' very deep psychological pain and the thought of separating them was unthinkable. But Derek made the case that they needed their own space, they needed to get used to it…Lydia and Danny wouldn't be going to the same grad schools the four of them would have to split up one day.

They tried it for a week and failed miserably. It wasn't just the twins that had grown dependent on the four of them living together Lydia and Danny had as well. Most nights the four of them would end up curled up together in Ethan and Danny's room. Derek gave up and remodeled one of the houses so it had two master suites and a guest room, and the four Joneses moved in together.

The funny thing was that after they moved back in together, Ethan and Aiden spent more nights in their own beds with their mates, and had fewer nightmares. They felt safer, knowing that the pack was so accepting of what they needed, and didn't treat them as omegas because of their 'weakness' (Aiden's term). Their alphas had gone out of their way to accommodate them. They finally began to understand that they had a true home at _Wolf's Run_.

No harm would come to the Jones boys ever again. Even if their home wasn't ridiculously secure, danger would have to get through their over-protective alphas, packmates and Lydias before it could breathe the same air as Aiden and Ethan.

No one was laying a violent finger on those boys ever again. She simply wouldn't allow it.

"_Don't be scared, you live in the safest place on earth."_ She'd whisper each night before falling asleep. It relaxed Aiden and soothed whatever fear she had as well.

* * *

Andromeda Hale didn't fully understand what danger meant until that summer.

She had lived her whole life in Beacon Hills, surrounded by people who cared for her dearly or respected her parents' position as Alphas and her role as their heir. Danger was not something she truly understood.

She understood it mentally… the idea of danger…of packmates and self in peril. But the understanding came from stories of her parents and ancestors; she had never been in danger herself. She had never truly experienced fear. She had been afraid before, had a bad nightmare once or twice, got scared by Uncle Stiles' sick obsession with making Halloween extra creepy, but that fear was nothing compared to what happened that summer.

Mom and Dad needed to go see the Diaz Pack in Mexico, and instead of leaving her and Aubrey behind, they went with them. It was the summer before her eighth birthday, and they hadn't had an outing just the four of them since DJ was born. Mom decided that DJ needed to learn that there were people who would care for him besides her so he was left at home. Andi and Aubrey had been so excited to go to Mexico with their parents. They visited the Diaz compound first, and then Mom took them to a resort to spend time together, while Dad did alpha stuff and spent time with his Dad's family.

They were supposed to meet again when the alpha stuff was over, Dad was supposed to join them on the beach after a few days. Andi knew something was wrong when he didn't call to tell them goodnight. And when Juliet called Mom instead and Mom started talking in hushed growls to Aunt Cora and Aunt Laura she knew something bad had happened.

Her Daddy was missing. There had been an attack at the Diaz compound.

Over the next month she had experienced fear. Her Dad was missing; then once they found him he had been de-aged to look as old as Diego and he didn't recognize Mom or Andi, Aubrey and DJ; then a were-jaguar woman and her berserkers attacked again and Andi came close to watching her parents, aunts and many Diazes die.

She experienced danger and fear in that month and she hated it.

Once Dad was back to normal, and the were-jaguar was defeated they went home, and as soon as the car drove through the gates of her home Andi began to cry. She never wanted to be that scared again, if Dad hadn't been able to shift into a Hale Wolf like her aunts, they all would have died. So far away from home and pack, so far away from the safety of home, she would have been orphaned just because her parents decided to take a vacation, separate and let their guards down away from home.

She was glad they were alive, but she was so angry at them.

So angry that, she had shifted into wolf form and jumped out of the moving car window, running towards the woods.

She heard Mom yelling after her, and Aunt Laura saying to give her some time. Aunt Laura understood her best. Being the heir was never easy, but Andi had been okay with all the attention and coddling as long as her pack was safe. Now that she had experienced how not-safe life could be she didn't know how to cope. What was the point of being a part of a powerful pack if they were only ever safe in their tiny town and kept their guard up? Was that anyway to live life?

She made it to the ruins of the old Hale House, the place where Dad grew up and was reminded that even staying in town and keeping your guard up didn't guarantee safety. A fire had nearly wiped out the pack when her grandmother was the Alpha, and she was a strong, careful alpha. A second fire had nearly killed her parents before she was born and Mom and Dad were the best alphas ever.

She had come too close to watching a berserker rip off Mom's head just days ago. Dad had barely been able to save her in time, because the were-jaguar woman had knocked him out, and he had been close to death in his young body. Andi could only watch helplessly as her aunts and the Diaz pack fought for their lives and her Mom was all alone. She would have jumped in and helped but she was too busy hiding Aubrey and DJ from harm. If the berserkers saw them she and her siblings would be dead for sure and no one would be able to save them.

"_You did the right thing Andi. I'm proud of you."_Said her Dad's voice in her mind. She turned around and looked at the new wolf approaching her. It was weird seeing her father in this wolf form, she had been so used to his monster-wolf form. But now he was a true Hale Wolf, something males in her family typically were not powerful enough to achieve.

"_Go away. I'm mad."_She said, making a run for it in the opposite direction.

Her father chased her down easily enough, only confirming that he and mom always let Andi and her siblings win when they played chase. _"No, you are afraid. You're allowed to be afraid, Angel. It was a scary situation."_ He said head butting her.

"_Our kind are never safe are we?"_ She sighed.

"_The world is full of danger for people like us. Why do you think we build and fortify our dens like we do? So our loved ones have at least one safe place to go in the entire world."_

"_the Diaz den wasn't safe."_

"_Some Dens are safer than others. The Diaz Pack hasn't updated their security since my father was a child."_

_"You and Mom update the system each month…"_

"_Exactly. Angel, I'm not saying that you will never again know fear or experience danger. I can't guarantee that. I can tell you that this pack has worked very hard to make sure _Wolf's Run _is the safest place on earth for a member of The Hale Pack."_

Andi nodded. She knew he was right.

"_Now would you mind coming with me back to the Den? Your mother was very shaken up by the situation and is demanding the entire pack sleep in the theater room together tonight. I think it's a good idea, I'm feeling uneasy myself. I need to know you are all okay."_

Andi began running towards the house. "_I'm going to beat you Daddy!"_

"_Will you?"_ He said as he began to pass her.

"No fair! You're a grown up! You're supposed to let me win!" She yelled as they arrived at the den and she shifted back.

Her father smiled when he shifted to human, and grabbed for the clothing her mother had left on the porch. "You always complain that we let you win."

Andi huffed and got dressed. They made their way inside together and saw they whole pack was cuddled together on the couches and fighting over which movie to watch before dinner.

"Elsa!" her cousin Ava said. As Dad settled in next to her Mom and DJ, and Andi settled in between Diana and Aubrey

"No! Not another princess movie, anything but a princess movie..." Raul whined.

"Grow up, you start college soon." Diego told him, "You know the rules, nothing higher than PG while the younger kids are awake."

"There's tons of PG movies that are not _Frozen_." Juliet said, "If I hear 'Let It Go' one more time today…"

Diana snorted, elbowing Andi in the side. Andi watched as her cousin pressed play on a tiny remote and the house filled with the song Juliet was just talking about.

All the adults (and Juliet) started begging for the music to end, while Micah, Missy and Diana started laughing hysterically until Uncle Stiles picked the remote from his daughters hand and turned off the music.

"I have taken this from you how many times in the last few weeks?"

"Thirty." Diana answered, wiping the tears that laughter caused from her eyes.

"and how did you manage to steal it back?"

"No comment." Diana said with an 'innocent smile'.

Snorts and laughter filled the room at the pained look on her Uncle's face. Apparently Diana was some sort of horribly perfect mix of her parents that made one nearly unstoppable prankster that never left any physical proof behind that she had done something wrong. Andi was praying she grew out of it before she was Diana's alpha.

After her Uncle and cousin ended their staring contest, a movie was finally chosen and everyone settled in for cuddles. Andi crawled under a blanket and pulled her little sister close. She loved pack time like this, everyone in one place, cuddled up and content. It made her feel secure.

It made her feel that maybe her home, _Wolf's Run_, really was the safest place on earth.

* * *

**Prompt(s): none**

**I am still accepting prompts for the "Life and Times of A She-Wolf" universe.**


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